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What was the fighting line between France and Germany?
The Maginot Line
The Maginot Line (French: Ligne Maginot, IPA: [liɲ maʒino]), named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, is a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations built by France in the 1930s to deter invasion by Germany and force them to move around the fortifications.
What is the meaning of Maginot Line?
defensive fortifications
(Entry 1 of 2) 1 : a line of defensive fortifications built before World War II to protect the eastern border of France but easily outflanked by German invaders. 2 : a defensive barrier or strategy that inspires a false sense of security.
What was the blitzkrieg strategy?
Blitzkrieg is a term used to describe a method of offensive warfare designed to strike a swift, focused blow at an enemy using mobile, maneuverable forces, including armored tanks and air support. Such an attack ideally leads to a quick victory, limiting the loss of soldiers and artillery.
Where is the Maginot Line?
Maginot Line, elaborate defensive barrier in northeast France constructed in the 1930s and named after its principal creator, André Maginot, who was France’s minister of war in 1929–31. Main entrance to the Schoenenbourg Fort on the Maginot Line, Bas-Rhin department, Alsace region, France.
Is the Rhine River the border between France and Germany?
The Alpine section of the Rhine lies in Switzerland, and below Basel the river forms the boundary between western Germany and France, as far downstream as the Lauter River.
What parts of France were occupied by Germany?
Germany occupied three-fifths of mainland France: the areas with the most economic potential and the Atlantic and Northern coasts. The Militärbefehlshaber in Frankreich (MBF) (the German Military Command in France) was set up in to administer this “occupied zone.” Otto von Stülpnagel took control of it in October 1940.
Why did France fail in ww2?
Its failure was a result of a hopelessly divided French political elite, a lack of quality military leadership, rudimentary French military tactics. On the battlefield, France faced a vastly more prepared German army that utilized both more advanced weapons and sophisticated tactics.
Who is Charles de Gaulle ww2?
Charles de Gaulle led the Free French forces in resisting capitulation to Germany during World War II and became provisional president of France in the immediate aftermath of the war. Later he was an architect of the Fifth Republic and was president from 1958 to 1969.
What was Germany blitzkrieg?
Blitzkrieg, meaning ‘Lightning War’, was the method of offensive warfare responsible for Nazi Germany’s military successes in the early years of the Second World War. Radio communications were the key to effective Blitzkrieg operations, enabling commanders to coordinate the advance and keep the enemy off balance.
How did the German Blitzkrieg work?
blitzkrieg, (German: “lightning war”) military tactic calculated to create psychological shock and resultant disorganization in enemy forces through the employment of surprise, speed, and superiority in matériel or firepower.
How did Germany get around the Maginot Line?
However, the Maginot Line had two major failings – it was obviously not mobile and it assumed that the Ardennes was impenetrable. Any attack that could get around it would leave it floundering like a beached whale. Blitzkrieg was the means by which Germany simply went around the whole Line.
Which river forms the border between France and Germany?